COMMENT: Forget the crowd. Forget momentum. This was more important than that. This could've been it. The moment Arsenal handed the title to Manchester City. And the crazy thing is, Granit Xhaka would only have had himself to blame...

It's a mindblower that more has been made of the aftermath than the actual incident. Xhaka's confrontation with Trent Alexander-Arnold midway through the first-half. The pair going head-to-head for barely seconds before teammates separated them. A push-and-shove. Some argy-bargy. And the melee was over.

The reaction to the clash riled up the Liverpool support - there's no doubting that. But that was always going to happen. A confrontation. A ball-n'-all tackle. Something is always going to occur in a game like Sunday that will get Anfield heaving. Claiming that moment as key to Liverpool's fight-back does the players little credit - and that's including Alexander-Arnold. But this isn't about Liverpool. This is about the Premier League leaders. Specifically, their most senior player.

It was crazy. Madness. Two goals up. Your team is cruising. And you throw an elbow - as Xhaka did - like that? What was going through the Swiss' mind? There's no second guessing here. Xhaka raised his elbow and threw it at Alexander-Arnold's face. The ball had gone. The challenge between the pair was over. But as the two separated, Xhaka consciously wanted to land one on Alexander-Arnold. As we say, it was madness.

He dodged one there, did Xhaka, he really did. Firstly, that he didn't connect. Secondly, that it was Alexander-Arnold he chose to try and thump - the England international not one for theatrics. And thirdly, that none of the match officials were sharp enough to catch it. We've seen plenty of red cards shown for less - much, much less. A dismissal. Your team goes down to ten men at Anfield. And Arsenal's most senior player and de facto captain is suspended just when he's needed the most. It really was crazy.

This column is a fan of Xhaka. The reviving of his career. His leadership of this young dressing room. There's so many positive stories to come from his campaign this season. Which makes Sunday's flashpoint so baffling.

He plays on the edge, we know this. That's the strength of Xhaka. It's how he lifts himself and those around him. A late challenge. Some lost footing. Yellow and red cards will occur. It's the nature of today's game, But this was no loose tackle. This was an attempted elbow. An unnecessary, foolhardy action which could've blown everything for him and his teammates.

As it is, Arsenal left Anfield with a point. A score draw at Liverpool. It's always a good result, even against a Liverpool team so clearly at the end of it's cycle. And while some claim the nature of Liverpool's fight-back clearly shows Arsenal are wobbling, this column would argue Mikel Arteta's men left for London in better shape than they arrived.

Yes, they blew a two-goal lead. But Arsenal weren't creaking at the end. They never melted away. The Gunners gave as good as they received. Right through to injury time, it was end to end. Aaron Ramsdale was strong in front of the Kop. But Gabriel Jesus had his moments too in those final 15 minutes. Crosses, on more than one occasion, agonisingly just out of reach of the Brazilian inside Alisson's penalty area.

Indeed, if Oleks Zinchenko had kept his legs together, Alexander-Arnold's cross would never have reached Roberto Firmino for that late equaliser. For all the helter-skelter stuff, Arsenal dropped two points due to an individual error. But again, they never wilted. They stared down a rampant Reds attack and in a cauldron that was Anfield on the day. As we say, a score draw at Liverpool? It's the stuff of champions.

The points dropped sees City now six behind the leaders with a game to play. And of course, with Arsenal due at the Etihad in a fortnight. With a +5 goal difference on the Gunners, there's a belief that the title race has shifted in City's favour.

But in terms performance, nothing at Anfield suggested Arsenal are wobbling. Indeed, it was the opposite. They kept going at Liverpool. They kept attacking. And really, if the ball had run for them, Arsenal would've deserved the three points. As they've proved time and again away from the Emirates, going to City won't be intimidating for this young team.

But they will need everyone switched on - particularly their senior players. Xhaka really did get away with one on Sunday. He can't indulge in such a risk again.